Well I hate to say it but after the Junk Jiffy post by Wallidigger I thought to myself what am I doing buying a brand new Jiffy? I mean come on even my good buddy Pierre said there is a growing number of disgruntle Jiffy owners. To be truthful it was to late for me. I had already ordered a brand new 8 Jiffy STX Pro. What was I going to do

The call came in yesterday from my son Codi and I quote Dad, theres a brand new auger on the porch. I will put it in the garage so mom doesnt see it. Man did I train that boy good! I drove home last night from work just wondering how this whole Jiffy Junk thing was going to play out.

First thing I did when I got home was pull my 4 year old 8 STX off the wall and put it on choke and pulled the cord. It fired. I took it off choke and pulled again. It fired and purred like a kitten. I thought to myself did I get the only good running Jiffy in Minnesota and now I am going to replace it? I put my thoughts away topped off the tank and put it in the back of my truck. This auger was going to a new home to a guy at my work.

On to the new one! I unpacked the new 8 STX Pro out of the box and even broke the unwritten Male code of reading directions! I wanted to make sure I had the fuel mixture correct. Silly me for thinking that might make difference. Everything was the same as my old one. I bolted the shaft to the power head and filled the tank with fuel. The new auger comes with a decompression valve. I put it on choke and gave it a pull. Oh my god nothing? OK Im not that dumb its a new auger and its going to take a few pulls to get the fuel going. It took 8 pulls to be exact before it fired. I took it off choke and gave it a pull. It fired and much to the surprise of my fellow forum friends it ran perfect! I let it set there and idle for about 1-2 minutes just enjoying the new even quieter sound it produced. Just then I thought is this when its going to seize up? Nope I just sat and listened. I picked up the auger and hit the throttle. Music just Sweet Music! I stepped out onto the driveway and let the sound of the auger just ring through the trees and the field. I felt like Tim the Tool Man Taylor! I ran the auger off and on for the next 15 minutes just waiting for the talked about flaws and nothing. I couldnt believe what just happened. You guessed it. I must have won the Jiffy lottery and ended up with the only two good running Jiffys in the state of Minnesota! I took my new prize and hung it on the hooks were my old one was and just smiled!

With all this good auger news I was floating on cloud nine. Bam! I was suddenly hit with a terrible thought. A good fishing buddy of mine ordered a auger the same time I did. Oh my I need to call him and console him because if mine worked I am sure he must of gotten one of the Junk Jiffys! I ran for the phone and dialed frantically. He answered and you could hear sobbing on the other line. I thought Oh my he was hit by the curse of the Junk Jiffy! Then I heard him mutter something. I didnt make it out at first but he kept repeating it over and over. Finally I heard him say Beautiful simply Beautiful! Yes people I can honestly say his worked exactly like mine right out of the box!

Wallidigger and Pierre do not take this to heart I am joking with you guys. I will say that the above story is true and did happen last night.

I did find what I thought was a misprint on the starting sticker on the auger. The sticker read that the fuel mixture was to be 40:1 instead of what was printed in the manual at 24:1. I emailed Jiffy this morning and received an immediate response from Jeff Huenink in the Marketing department and I quote Tecumseh just approved the use of 40:1. The engine is used for other applications but Tecumseh only approved it for our application. Use 40:1..So there you guys got me there is a flaw!

I didn't read the thread that you reference but I will be buying a Jiffy next time. . I just bought a strikemaster and although it hasn't needed repair, it is a pain to keep running. I keep it in a heated garage and It takes no less than 10 pulls to get going. After I get it running I need to play with the choke for a couple minutes to make sure it keeps going.. Even then it has some trouble when I try to rev it up a bit.. This gets annoying when I am trying to pound out some quick holes in -5 degree temps. My friend thinks I should put a shut off before the carb which he claims floods just from transportation. I haven't read the warranty info but I'm guessing that my friends suggestion would void whatever warranty they have. Anyway, just thought I would share my experience with a different brand.

Sand Burr, I'm glad your new auger is working great, it should. In no way did I mean to offend anyone on their auger preference's. I was just frustrated with a product I've used my whole life not working. I did find out that these augers I was talking about were not new. The oldest one is 4 yrs old. We used it this weekend and it worked great. It just came out of the shop. He has had it in the shop 4 times since he has owned it. I told him what people on this site said about the service at big lake and if he has problem again he is going to bring up there.

As I stated in before Jiffy has been in business for a very long time and it is not by luck.

When I said New I meant within the last 6 or so years of production when the EPA and emmisions standards came into play that is when the problems started.The best auger every made is the older "10 plus years" Jiffy model 30's they don't ever die mine is 22 years old and still kicking out holes.WD... I see you have the air and mixture adjustments from AI that and a carb cleaning will help.

there may be a few of you that have the supposed "junk jiffy's" i have a model 30 and have ran numerous jiffy's mostly model 30's old and new and have never had a problem...alot is based on how you run/take care of it and a little finesse also helps. my old man has an early 80's model 30 i can get it running on 3 PULLS OR LESS EVERYTIME and he cant run it for the life of him sometimes...i walk right up fire it and drill numerous holes. i agree with the fact that the earlier models do seem to run a little better, but my buddy purchased a brand new model 30 and couldnt keep it running i adjusted his carb for him and it runs perfect...ya gotta have the touch. A GOOD TIP IS TO OBVIOUSLY ADJUST THE HIGH SPEED MIX WHEN THE THROTTLE IS WIDE OPEN OR CLOSE TO IT. both idle and high speed mixtures do work hand in hand to a point, im guessing there is alot of people who "think" they know what they are doing, when tinkering with the augers, but in fact dont. as far as tecumseh approving the 40:1 ratio for fuel to oil i wouldnt listen to that s#$T, sorry for the language but if you want your jiffy to seize the 40:1 ratio will help you on your way....i always use 24:1 and recommend it to everyone..it might plug up your carb faster because of increased oil but a hell of alot better than buying a new powerhead. cleaning a carb takes about 20 min removal and installation and i always use a whole can of carb cleaner and compressed air to help unblock any jets/orfices. maybe this helps some of you maybe not, but when all else fails i will count on MY jiffy everytime.

I cannot speak for one brand or the other, but I've stuck with the same method for years, and I never have problems with my small engines. First, forget that crazy 40:1 claim. That's rediculous. What I always do is almost double the oil. If it calls for 32:1, I run 20:1. I add a little splash of Seafoam and away I go. My auger always starts easily, runs nicely, and the carb. never gums up. I do this with all my small engines and have the same great results.

like i stated before and agreeing with what monster mechanic said 40:1 is way too lean, remember that in a 2-stroke the oil in the gas is also a lubricant for your internal engine parts...so what do you think is better, more oil or less oil? i would stick with at least 24:1 for your auger

That's where the Seafoam kicks in. It keeps the carb free of gum and deposits and helps keep the plug from fouling. I put in a new plug at the beginning of the season just for maintinance, if I remember. I have gone two years without changing the plug too. Although, I would highly reccomend a new plug every year. It is very cheap insurance.